Man pinned, dies in crane yard manufacturing accident

An employee of Manitowoc Crane Group in Shady Grove, PA was killed two weeks ago in what most expect OSHA and police to eventually call an accident. To this point, most are considering the accident a case of wrongful death with total or partial responsibility yet to be determined.

According to the police lieutenant from Greencastle, PA, 59-year-old Rickie Lee Grimsley was crushed between an operated crane and a parked crane at around 2:30pm on August 29th at the former Grove Worldwide Plant off of Pennsylvania State Route 16, just west of Waynesboro, PA. The vice president of human resources for Manitowoc Americas has been working diligently with police and OSHA to come to the conclusion that the man's death was in fact an accident and that there was no foul play involved.

According to officials, Grimsley was standing between operable and inoperable cranes when the operable crane, driven by another Manitowoc employee, turned suddenly toward the victim, pinning him between the two cranes. Grimsley is said to have been pronounced dead at the scene of the accident despite workers' attempts to perform CPR.

In addition to state police, the company also cooperated with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which also has a hand in investigating the unfortunate incident. The company is said to manufacture nearly 200 cranes per month. However, while Manitowoc is likely a bustling industrial complex with tight deadlines to meet, the proper precautions that should have been taken to ensure Grimsley's life were not and more questions must be answered.

As of two years ago there were nearly 1300 people employed by Manitowoc Crane Group facility in Shady Grove, PA. This is the second accident in three years at this particular facility and Manitowoc was fined in 2010 when a man died from injuries he sustained after a fall from a crane deck. Family, friends, and co-workers of Grimsley still mourn and hope that Manitowoc is taking the proper precautions to be sure a senseless, tragic accidents like this one do not happen again.